The Diary of Donna Noble
by TheShamyFan123
Summary: When Clara finds a diary that Donna Noble left behind, she feels compelled to read it. She discovers just how much Donna impacted the Doctor's life.
1. Donna Who?

Clara whipped her head around and stared at the blank wall; she could have sworn there had been a door there just a second ago. She cocked an eyebrow and carried on with her exploration of the TARDIS. The Doctor had asked her to fetch something for him from one of the many rooms of the little blue box. Trouble was, he could not recall what room he had left the object in, so it was up to Clara to figure it out. She checked around the pool, in the library, in the jungle room (Yes, apparently there was a use for that room), and multiple other rooms she had never been in before.

There was a glowing light coming from a few doors down and as she approached, the door flung open. She popped her head in first, scanning to make sure it looked safe before entering. Deciding that it looked safe she cautiously stepped over the threshold. It looked very much like the other bedrooms on the TARDIS but unlike the others that she had seen so far, this one looked as though someone had lived in it for a long period of time and just up and left it behind. The bed was unmade, there were some clothes hanging in the closet and some pictures framed on a desk.

Clara gently lifted one of the framed photos from the desk. In it was a woman, who appeared to be in her thirties, with fiery red hair and warm smile. With her was an older gentleman, who was obviously laughing at something while the picture was being taken. The last member of the group was someone she recognized, an earlier version of the Doctor. He was in a brown trench coat and blue suit, hair wild as ever. He had his arms draped around the old man and red haired woman. She couldn't help but smile at the picture because they all looked so utterly and completely happy.

Setting the picture back down she made her way to leave the room. Before leaving however, she catches sight of the object she had been looking for. She sat down on the edge of the bed, picked up the invisibility watch and slid it in her pocket. As she moved to get up, her hand brushed something solid. Pushing the remains of the messy bed aside she discovered a book. It was gold and deep red, she admired the pattern very much. Stroking the spine, she flipped it open to see written in neat cursive, _"The Diary of Donna Noble"._

"Donna," she whispered to herself. She knew that name. She thought back to a weird moment with the Doctor just a few weeks earlier.

###

_He had just picked her up after being absent for a while. He flipped the switches and stared at her intensely, "Where do you want to go?" he asked her. She pondered, thinking over all the possible times and locations she could experience, the people she could meet. She suddenly remembered the last book she had read. It would be amazing to meet the author of that book._

_ "Well, there is someone I've always wanted to meet…" she began._

_ "And who would that be?" he questioned._

_ "Agatha Christie. I love her books. I bet she is amazing!" she had gushed. She knew something wasn't right when his eyes turned from focused to sad, his face dropped. "What's with the big sad eyes, Doctor?"_

_ "I've met her before. Loads of fun she is…was. We solved a mystery together! There was a giant wasp and a jewel thief and I was poisoned! It was great fun. We always had great fun, Donna Noble and I."_

_ "Donna? Who is Donna?"_

_ Realization struck him, "Where do you want to go?" he asked again._

_ "Actually," she began, "How about you pick this time?"_

_ He smiled and flipped a switch, "Christopher Columbus it is!"_

_###_

She had been afraid to push him further on the subject, talking about Donna obviously caused him a lot of pain. She had left it alone, but the thoughts about past companions never left her mind. If she had to leave him one day, how would it affect him? She pushed the worry to the back of her mind as she scurried out of the room, and against her better judgment, took Donna's diary with her.

The Doctor was busying himself with the TARDIS controls when she walked back into the console room. She spotted her jacket nearby and quickly folded it over her arm in an attempt to hide the diary she had just confiscated from her journey. She knew she shouldn't take it, but curiosity had gotten the best of her.

"So did you find it, Clara?" he asked, immersed in his workings on the TARDIS.

Panic stricken, "Find what?"

He turned around to face her and quirked an eyebrow, "The watch. You were gone an awfully long time."

She breathed a sigh of relief, "Oh, right. Yes, I found it," she reached into her pocket and placed it in his hands, "Wouldn't have taken me so long if you could just remember where you put your things."

"You alright?" he questioned, "You look a bit….off. Your eyes are bigger than your face again."

"Nope, fine. Perfectly fine," she answered all too quickly for her liking.

"Okay, if you're sure," he stated walking towards the TARDIS doors and flinging them open, "Home sweet, home again."

She smiled and walked past him, turning around at the entrance, "So, when am I going to see you again?"

"Any time you want to see me again, boss," he said a bit cheekily and closed the doors. The moans and groans of the TARDIS followed his exit and within no time, the blue box disappeared from her bedroom.

She didn't want to seem too eager to look at the diary. She wanted to play it cool. She went into the kitchen and poured herself a glass of wine and followed up with putting on her jim-jams. She sit in the center of her bed and stared at the book. Morally, she knew it was wrong to read someone else's diary, but she just found herself so curious to know about the woman named Donna Noble. Huffing in frustration, she opened it up to the first page and began to read.

_**Dear Diary,**_

_** It feels odd to talk to a book as though it is a person, but you were a gift from Gramps and he is staring at me right now and I need to look like I'm putting you to good use. My name is Donna Noble. I'm a temp from Chiswick…well, I was a temp, I'm between jobs right and I don't even know why I'm writing all of this down, you are a diary, you could care less about my employment status. Anyways, the first thing you should know is that this past year has been the weirdest and most disappointing year of my life. First of all, I was engaged to a man named Lance. Long story short he was dosing me with chemicals, conspiring against me with a giant spider queen, and I was kidnapped halfway down the aisle by a man called The Doctor and his little blue spaceship that's bigger on the inside. Well, he's not a man really, he's an alien. He inspired me to travel the world and all of that lasted about five minutes. I went to Egypt but it was over before I knew it. He had asked me to come with him in that ridiculous magic box of his and I now realize that turning him down was the biggest mistake of my life. He was dazzling and brilliant and I have never met anyone like him before. Because of him I believe in so much more now. Aliens, lives outside of our planet exist, and I want more than ever now to be a part of the wonder in the universe. My mum keeps insisting I decide my next move in life but I just can't, not while I'm trying to find that outer space man and that box. There is a weight loss company called Adipose Industries and something doesn't feel quite right about that place. I'm hoping if I poke around a bit, I'll find trouble and the Doctor seems to follow trouble….or trouble follows him, I can't really decide. But one thing is for sure, I'll be keeping my eyes peeled for that little blue box and the brilliant man who lives inside.**_


	2. Adipose, Pompeii, and Birthday's

Clara shifted back into her pillows and wrapped her blanket up to her torso. She shuffled around until she found a comfortable position to continue reading. Finally finding the right spot, she flipped the page and began to read the next entry.

_**"Dear Diary,**_

_** Well, I found the Doctor! Turns out I was right about being suspicious of Adipose Industries. They were actually an alien nursery using our planet for breeding (well, sort of). I still feel horrible about not being able to save poor Stacey from being dissolved alive by those oddly cute white blobs. **_

_** After I made it very clear that there was to be no funny business between the two of us, I dropped my keys in a nearby bin and said goodbye to my old life. The Doctor told me that he had took my advice and found someone after I'd turned him down. Martha, Martha Jones. Personally, I hope I get to meet Martha one day, she did him a lot of good. Now here I am, the newest resident of the TARDIS. It's so massive that it is ridiculous. There are multiple bedrooms, a pool, a library, even a jungle room! I found that last one by mistake. And yes, the Doctor apparently has a use for that room."**_

Clara couldn't help but snort at that.

_**"Our first real adventure together lead me to making one of the most tragic and difficult decisions of my life. I had just settled into my new bed when the Doctor waltzed through my bedroom door, eyes wide with excitement, jumping around like a child. He'd shouted out something along the lines of, 'Donna Noble!' and 'Brilliant!' and 'Let's go!' before pulling me out of my warm bed and yanking me across the hallways of the TARDIS. Once we reached the console room I smacked him hard on the arm and told him to at least let me change clothes first. After changing I rejoined him and noticed we were already on our way to our destination. Landing with a groan the Doctor rushed to the front doors and whipped them open, 'Ancient Rome!' he had exclaimed. Stepping out of the TARDIS I just couldn't believe it, I was actually there. Donna Noble: Time Traveler! Who would have thought, right? Unfortunately for us our good time did not seem to last very long. We were in Pompeii and it was volcano day. Everything seemed to keep going downhill from there. Some man with some serious looking eyebrows bought the TARDIS, I was kidnapped by soothsayers, there were giant alien rock people called Pyrovile, and the Doctor had to make the ultimate decision: Pompeii or the world. You see, he had to destroy his own planet in a war before I met him. I knew what kind of effect this was going to have on him, 20,000 lives gone and he would be the cause. I couldn't let him go through that alone, so I placed my hands on top of his and together we were the end of Pompeii. We did manage to save four people, though. The man who bought the TARDIS and his family. I know it had to be done to save the world but I have a strong feeling that helping him push that lever will haunt me for the rest of my days."**_

Clara put the book down and sat in silence for a moment. "I can't do this," she said to herself, "This is personal, I shouldn't be reading it." Turning out her lamp she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep. That night she dreamt of the red-headed companion and the wild haired Doctor. Just as Vesuvius erupted in her dream she awoke with a start. Grabbing the alarm clock on her nightstand, she discovered in horror that she had overslept! Rushing to get ready she threw her hair up in messy bun and grabbed a dress and cardigan before slinging the diary in her work bag and heading out the door.

Making it just in the nick of time she stomped down the hallways as fast as she could to get to assembly. She soon heard smaller footsteps coming up beside of her. Glancing to her left she saw Courtney Woods doubling in pace to keep up with her.

"Morning," she greeted, "You're in a bit of a hurry this morning, miss. Oversleep?"

"Yeah!" she responded out of breath.

"Well, were you up late or something?"

"Yes, I was."

She continued with her questioning, "What were you up so late doing?"

"Reading. Courtney, is there something you needed?"

"No, not really. Just thought I'd talk to you. What were you reading?" She peered inside Clara's half-open work bag, "Was it this?" she asked, pointing at the red and gold diary.

Clara quickly replaced the strap that had from the crook of her elbow, "No. I'll see you in class, Courtney," she avoided as she walked ahead of her to meet with other teachers.

When lunch time rolled around, Clara opted to stay in her classroom and get some grading done. She was halfway through her stack when her vision began to drift to her open bag containing the diary. She shook her head slightly and attempted to go back to grading. She was not going to start reading that diary again. She was going to call the Doctor today and return it back in its rightful place; in Donna's old room.

After finishing the last paper she got up from her desk to put them in her bag. Her hand yet again brushed the book as she moved to leave it and she groaned. Giving up she took it out of her bag and brought it back to her desk. It really was a pretty diary, red and gold striped with a gold tassel hanging from the side. She opened it yet again to look for the next entry.

_**"Dear Diary,**_

_** Despite my insistence of not making a big deal out of my birthday, the Doctor decided to go and throw me a party. I'll never admit it to the skinny alien and if he ever reads this next sentence from this diary I will throttle him but I am actually really glad that he did. He decorated the TARDIS and even baked the cake himself….it was banana flavored of course, and he only made a bit of a mess! Alright, I'm lying, there was batter everywhere and I had to pick bits of banana out of his hair, but it's the thought that counts! He waited until the end of the day to give me my gift. It's some sort of futuristic camera, he thought I'd like it so I could take photos and keep them in a memory box. He's so sentimental….like I'm ever going to forget any of the places I see and people I meet. But I did manage to get him to pose for a few photos for me as a test trial. I think they turned out quite nicely. Honestly, I think this is the best birthday I've ever had. Traveling through time and space in a little blue box with my best mate, what more could a girl want?"**_

_Following the entry we_re some photos that had been taken from that day. In one the Doctor was posing with his poorly made cake; he looked so proud of it. In another he was making some sort of goofy face. The last was a photo of him and Donna, they had on colorful party hats and Donna was looking at the Doctor as if he had just done something completely mad. Clara decided that, that seemed about right. She was startled when someone tapped her shoulder. She snapped the book shut quickly and looked up to discover Danny.

"Hey, were you in here all lunch? I was looking for you."

"Oh, yes. Sorry, I was getting some grading done."

He looked at her skeptically. "That," he pointed toward the diary, "is grading is it?"

"No. Um, I finished, this is-" she was cut off when he playfully snatched the diary from her desk. She made to grab it back but he held it above his head and shot her a look that seemed to say,_ 'I'm taller than you, remember?'_

He opened it and read aloud, "The Diary of Donna Noble. Who is Donna Noble and why are you reading her diary?"

She went red from embarrassment, "She was one of the Doctor's old companions. He never mentions any of them really and I found it the other day in her old bedroom and I just couldn't help myself. I was curious about her."

"If you were curious, why didn't you just ask him to tell you about her?"

She sighed, "Because he brought her up once and it seemed to really upset him. He brought her up by accident and it bothered him so much he had to act as if he didn't mention her at all. What could have happened to her to make him so sad to remember her?"

Danny's faced dropped a little, "I don't know." He causally flipped the first couple of pages and discovered the photographs taken by Donna from her birthday party. "Who is the bloke?" he asked.

"Oh, that's an earlier version of the Doctor. That's how he looked when Donna traveled with him. That's how he looked before I met him."

"He looks like that one guy from Harry Potter!" he laughed.

"What?" she questioned in a high-pitched voice. "Who?"

"That villain from the Goblet of Fire. Barty Crouch..something or other."

She scrunched her face in disbelief, "He does not!" she scanned the picture closely, "you're mad. They don't look a thing alike!" she began to laugh too. Hearing the bell chime loudly she took the diary back from him and put it back in her bag. She would return it to the TARDIS the next time she saw the Doctor…or maybe the adventure after that. Point is, she vowed she would get it back eventually.


	3. To the Best of My Ability

**Author's Note: Chapter 1 until the end of this story all takes place before the events of the season finale of Doctor Who series 8. Thanks so very much for taking the time to read my story. Means a lot guys :)**

"Just how far have you gotten into this thing?" Danny questioned as he thumbed through the diary, noticing where she had marked her page with the bending of the top right-hand corner.

"Farther than I'm proud of," she admitted.

"Clara, I thought you were going to return this to the Doctor? Or at least put it back where you found it in her bedroom. You know peeking into other people's lives is wrong. I may not be the Doctor's biggest fan, but if he doesn't want to talk about Donna then I'm sure he has a good reason."

She took the book from his hands and turned back a few pages, "I just can't seem to help myself. I mean, it bothers me. I've only read a few entries and I can obviously tell she was a huge part of his life."

"Clara," Danny protested.

"What happened to her? She intended on staying with him forever."

"How could you possibly know that?"

"Because she said so!" Clara creaked the spine in her hands and began to read.

_**"Dear Diary,**_

_** We just returned from the planet of the Ood. They are lovely creatures, really, very sweet. They have tentacles on their face and carry their brains in their hands. My first alien planet; still can't believe I'm actually out doing this, saving lives with the Doctor. I had a bad moment back there, though. I felt afraid and all I wanted was to go home. But that was just for a moment. As soon as I said it out loud I regretted it. A part of me felt so sure that the Doctor would have no problem dropping me back on Earth and would go and find a new companion to travel the universe with. When he asked me whether I still wanted to go home or not I was relieved; he did want me to stick around. Before I went to settle in for bed tonight I realized I had left my jacket in the console room. Before entering I could hear the Doctor's voice echoing from the hallway. Wondering who he could be talking to, I slowly made my way towards the entrance. He was slightly rubbing the panel near one of the controls and had his head downcast; he was talking to the TARDIS. His voice was low but not so low that I couldn't make it out. "I think I scare her," the machine hummed in what seemed like protest, "No, no. I do." I couldn't believe my ears, he thought I was afraid of him. "What if she wants to leave but doesn't want to hurt my feelings? She said it today you know. She said she wanted to go home." The TARDIS whaled, arguing back. I couldn't help but smile because I knew the old girl had my back. She knew I wanted to stay with her and the Doctor forever. Well, she knew it before I did. I hadn't really thought about it until that moment, but in that moment it became so clear, I was gonna be traveling the stars for the rest of my days. I thought about going down to the control panel and talking to him about it. Tell him my future plans, let him know he doesn't scare me. But I knew it wasn't a conversation for tonight."**_

"Is that how long you intend on staying with him? Forever?" He didn't blink.

Clara refused to meet his eyes, "I don't know what tomorrow will bring, Danny. Right now, all I know is that the Doctor is my friend. I trust him and he needs me. He shows me things I've only dreamed about. He may not be the same man he was when we first met but that doesn't mean I still don't care about him. All I need from you is your understanding. Your understanding that the Doctor is a part of my life and even if the traveling stops," her voice wavered a bit and she couldn't finish the sentence.

He placed a hand reassuringly on top of hers. "I understand."

She picked up the book and began again.

_**"Dear Diary,**_

_** It's a Sunday, so the Doctor has refused to land. He claims that nothing ever happens on a Sunday. I suggested that we do something laid back and relaxing, like watch a movie or bake something. The Doctor, however, had a different idea. Being the giant man-child that he is, he covered my eyes with his hands and pushed from behind to lead me down the twisty hallways of the TARDIS. I demanded to know just where he was taking me but all he did was cackle wildly and insist that I need to relax and trust him. Just when I was about to give up and shove his hands away from my face he dropped them quickly and yelled, "Viola!" In front of me was the largest closet I had ever seen in my entire life. Clothes and hats and shoes and everything you could imagine! The Doctor, a 900 year old Time Lord from a vastly intelligent alien race wanted to play dress up; that daft man. I prodded and poked through some period costumes, holding them up to my figure and twirled like a child in a candy store. The Doctor came waltzing out from what looked to be a dressing room wearing a leather jacket. I laughed at him and he just shrugged and explained that he used to wear it when he was a little younger. Before I knew it he was wrapping a long, ridiculous looking scarf around my neck. We laughed and laughed; I don't think my sides have ever hurt this badly. But then, he stopped laughing. Wiping a tear from my eye I turned around to see why the Doctor had gone so quiet. I saw him sitting on a pile of clothes, holding a pink dress in his hands. I knew immediately that it had belonged to Rose. Unsure on what to do or say I joined him on the pile of clothes he had fashioned into some sort of couch and took his hand in mine. I thought back to the night I heard him in the console room and my heart felt heavy. "I'm not afraid of you, Doctor. Quite the opposite, actually." I had assured him. He didn't look at me, he kept his eyes on the dress, "I don't know if I believe that," he had replied. I knew that the moment had nothing to do with that, but I felt it needed to be said. I squeezed his hand a bit tighter, "I hope you aren't tired of me yet, Spaceman. Because I intend to be with you forever," I told him. He said nothing in return and that did hurt my feelings a bit. I pushed through, "The Doctor and Donna Noble, best friends in the TARDIS for the rest of my life." He still said nothing and I felt a little defeated so I let go of his hand and made my way towards the door. The door opened for me but I was being held back by hand on my wrist. I refused to turn and look at him at first but eventually gave in. He stared at me a moment before saying anything, "I'm sorry…it's just, people have promised me forever before." I shook my head at him a little, "Well, how about forever to the best of my ability?" His face lightened and he hugged me. That's the thing about the Doctor, Diary. He's- oh well, he's watching me right now actually. Probably should limit myself from writing outside of my bedroom. Um, gotta go. Until next time."**_


End file.
